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Bint's Chocolate Box Selection - April 2020 Book Group TBR discussion thread

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McGoohan
McGoohan
Apr 2020
5:18pm, 7 Apr 2020
44,489 posts
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McGoohan
The main thing for me is that it is so incredibly dated in just about every way. I think that the more recent a book, the more glaring are any examples of datedness. So, it's easier to read Dickens and accept the attitudes of another time. But this comes from 1959 and Shirley Jackson died in my lifetime, yet her characters (Americans too) talk like Trevor Howard in a 1930s British drama. In fact, not even that well as they speak in ways no human person ever did.

Stylistically as well, the writing's very heavily verbose. Even in short sentences. 'He frowned unhappily'. What, instead of those happy frowns?

And as for spooky? She's so at pains to have it all be ambiguous that almost nothing is described.

Finally, it's typical of overpraised litfic for me: poor writing that's excused because it's being seen to be literary. There's this recurring and ultimately rather pointless phrase: 'Journeys end in lovers meeting' which has a pleasing-enough rhythm but is largely meaningless in the context of the novel. In that way, it reminded me of former book group fave, The Passion (which I also hated) with its motif 'Somewhere between fear and sex passion is' - which clearly needed 'young Skywalker' to complete the sentence.
McGoohan
McGoohan
Apr 2020
7:15am, 9 Apr 2020
44,510 posts
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McGoohan
Right, started on Little Nemo's book now ;-)
Little Nemo
Little Nemo
Apr 2020
7:17am, 9 Apr 2020
10,369 posts
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Little Nemo
Uh oh, is it a race? :-0
McGoohan
McGoohan
Apr 2020
7:19am, 9 Apr 2020
44,511 posts
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McGoohan
Er... it is now :-)

Comprehension is irrelevant. On your marks....
Little Nemo
Little Nemo
Apr 2020
7:21am, 9 Apr 2020
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Little Nemo
:-)
McGoohan
McGoohan
Apr 2020
7:23am, 9 Apr 2020
44,512 posts
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McGoohan
Right - finished. I just fanned out the book, put my thumb on it and flicked through the pages, reading maybe a word every other page or so. I think it's about a murder or something?
Little Nemo
Little Nemo
Apr 2020
7:26am, 9 Apr 2020
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Little Nemo
Er, no spoilers please!
McGoohan
McGoohan
Apr 2020
7:28am, 9 Apr 2020
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McGoohan
There's a woman or possibly a man. And another person. There's a house too. Somebody maybe called Evelyn?
McGoohan
McGoohan
Apr 2020
7:28am, 9 Apr 2020
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McGoohan
It is a real page turner. Especially when you read it like a flick-book
Diogenes
Diogenes
Apr 2020
8:28am, 9 Apr 2020
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Diogenes
I read a book about a man whose job it was in the middle-ages to roast servant boys on a spit. Now that’s what I call a page-turner.

INSORT is also a page turner: I have to keep turning back to remind myself of what I’ve read.

About This Thread

Maintained by McGoohan
This month, we're having a bit of a switcheroo for them as wants to take part.

1. Post a picture of your To Be Read pile in the gallery. Failing that, simply post a list of your TBR books if say they are on Kindle or Audible.

2. Bint, as this month's sacred choosinator, will choose a book for each participant from their posted picture.

3. In turn, the rest of us will decide by committee what Bint's April book shall be.

4. Read it.

5. Review it. Here.

Here are our choisisees:

Dipps - Robinson Crusoe

Owlie - The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Peregrinator - A Rogue's Life

Little Nemo - Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

McG - The Haunting of Hill House - 4/10 (first to finish! Go me! Go me!)

Linds - Great Expectations

Dio - If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things

Columba - A Pair of Blue Eyes

Wriggling Snake - End of the World Running Club

Scribbler - What Red Was

PaulaMc - The Mirror and the Light

Bazoaxe - The Light Between the Oceans

Badger - The Quarry

Bint - ? see below

A book for Bint:
The Word For Woman Is Wilderness - Abi Andrews
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